


A book, a downpour, and a plate of falafel

by Lakritzwolf



Category: The Mortal Instruments (Movies), Young Hercules
Genre: Dorks in Love, Human AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 09:10:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18617578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakritzwolf/pseuds/Lakritzwolf
Summary: Iolaus is an occasionally disorganised student. Luke is a passionate bookshop owner. Sparks fly when Iolaus comes to the book shop in desperate need of a book he needs for an exam. Luke is being kind and generous and Iolaus his usual bubbly dorky self, and when Luke goes just that extra mile to show Iolaus how much he cares, nothing can stop those two lovesick idiots from being even more lovesick.





	A book, a downpour, and a plate of falafel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chelidona (Hobbity)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hobbity/gifts).



> This is a -very belated- birthday present for my dearest friend Lilly. I'm sorry it took so long but life was crazy during the Easter break. I hope you enjoy this one!

Sometimes Iolaus really wished he was a better organised person, but to be fair, not having his shit together enough for exams had happened less and less over the years, and less severely as well. So in all it could have been worse, but this time it was a clear case of _‘I could have bloody told you so’_.

 _So, memo to self_ , Iolaus thought as he left the campus, _if a professor recommends a book, go to the library right away and get your hands on it instead of having a coffee and a free lesson on the greens outside the cafeteria building_. By the time he had been to the library all four copies had been gone, and all of them had a reservation list.

“And there’s no way I’ll be able to completely read it before the exam,” Iolaus complained to his friends, during another free lesson they were spending on the greens next to the cafeteria.

“So what are you going to do?” Hercules asked him, squinting into the sun.

“I don’t know.” Iolaus tore off a blade of grass and picked it apart with a deep frown. “I put in a request for an interlibrary loan but that’s going to take forever too. And it’s out of print so I can’t buy it unless I take out a loan and stop eating for three months at least. And live under a bridge during that time. After selling everything I own.”

Hercules and Jason exchanged a look and a shrug. But then Jason lifted one finger.

“Hang on, did you try looking for a used copy?”

“I did.” Iolaus threw the blade of grass at him. “I’m thick, not stupid.”

Jason snorted and grinned. “I know there are at least three bookshops close to campus that sell used books. Have you tried those?”

“Not yet.” Iolaus got to his feet and looked up at the clouds that were slowly gathering on front of the sun. “I’m on it.”

Moments later he was on his bicycle and on his way.

The first two bookshops yielded no results. And after leaving the second, it also started to rain. Fastening his helmet Iolaus sighed, looking up at the darkening clouds, and shook his head. So typical for him. He had been doing so well, and now he had messed up and if he didn’t pass that exam, he would ruin his overall grade.

Iolaus reached the third bookshop, his last hope, completely drenched. A purely second-hand bookstore, but also filled with antique books. It was very questionable if Iolaus would be able to afford his book here, but he had to at least try.

The little bells above the door jingled frantically as Iolaus barged inside, fleeing from the increasing rain.

“Hello, what can I do for you?”

Iolaus turned around and good god...

...that wasn’t what a second-hand bookshop owner was supposed to look like. Tall, broad-shouldered, dark and handsome, and with a glimpse of chest hair peeking out from the shirt that wasn’t completely buttoned up.

“Wow...” he muttered, and felt his face burn when he realised it. He spun around and pointed out of the window where the rain had turned into a sudden, heavy downpour. “Just about in time!” He added with more brightness than he felt. “Look at that, I could have been caught up right in the middle of that!”

The bookshop owner blinked hastily a few times and cleared his throat, as if he had been lost in thought for a moment. “Yeah, pretty wild outside,” he said with a faint smile and put the box down he had been carrying. “But by the looks of it you couldn’t have gotten any wetter anyway.”

Iolaus looked down at himself and at the little puddle that had formed around his feet. “Shit,” he muttered and looked up again. “I’m messing up your shop... I’m so sorry...”

“No, it’s fine,” the owner said quickly. “It’s not carpet, after all. Just let me get something to mop that up.”

Maybe watching him go was a mistake. Because Jesus on a bicycle, that man had a backside to die for, shapely tapered from shoulders to hips and.... And now, getting an even better look at those shoulders... if those arms were a match then he would have been able to lift Iolaus without making half an effort.

It was a rather distracting train of thoughts and Iolaus found himself struggle for composure when Tall, Dark and Handsome appeared again with a mop, a bucket, and two large folded towels.

“Here,” he said and handed Iolaus the towels. “No need to catch your death like that.”

Then he started mopping up the worst of the water, and because Iolaus had stopped dripping by now it actually made a difference. Wrapping himself in the second towel after using the first to dry his hair, Iolaus had another look around. It was a welcoming, homely sort of organised chaos that he immediately liked, and he wondered why he had never noticed the shop before.

“Okay,” the shop owner said then after he had put the mop and bucket back. “I’m Luke, by the way. What can I do for you?”

“Hi Luke, I’m Iolaus,” Iolaus said brightly, for a moment completely forgetting he was here on business, because he had gotten lost in whiskey-coloured eyes. The blush was back and he cleared his throat. “I’m looking for a book,” he added quickly.

Luke gave him a patient smile.

“Oh, I mean...” Iolaus dragged a hand down his face. “It’s a history book that’s out of print and there’s a huge waiting list in the library and I need it for an exam.”

Luke nodded, arms crossed.

“Do you have it?”

One impressively dark eyebrow rose the tiniest bit. “If you give me a title, then I can check.”

Iolaus dragged both his hands down his face with a groan. _Way to go, Petrakis, way to go_. 

“It’s called _‘The treasure of Zeus’_ , subtitled _‘Gods and Legends of Ancient Greece’_ ,” Iolaus said, trying to smile. He doubted he was very successful.

“Hmm.” A frown appeared on Luke’s face. “I think I’ve heard the title before. Give me a moment.”

 _Please_ , Iolaus thought. _Please please please let this work please..._

Moments later Luke returned with a book in hand. It looked a little battered, but considering the book had been out of print since the fifties it was no surprise.

“Here it is,” Luke said with a smile. “Just out of curiosity: Why do you need such an old book on classic history?”

Iolaus shrugged. “I’m studying history, and I have this course that covers the history of history, if you want. We look at how different scholars in different eras have interpreted ancient history, and the topic for my essay is Ancient Greece.”

“That sounds really interesting,” Luke said, and seemed honestly intrigued. “I hope this helps.”

He handed Iolaus the book, but his euphoria at having found the book immediately evaporated as soon as his eyes fell onto the price tag. He felt his shoulders sag without being able to stop himself. It was cheaper than buying it online, but still way out of his budget. He had royally messed up, and now he wondered if his grades would be salvageable.

Luke of course had seen the change in his body language and facial expression, and now adjusted his glassed while clearing his throat.

Iolaus looked up at him with a sigh. “I’m sorry I made a mess of your shop and made you dig through the shelves for nothing,” he said heavily. “But I can’t afford that.”

“Oh.” Luke stopped smiling. “Yeah... It’s... it’s a rarity, that one.”

“I know.” Iolaus closed his eyes and shook his head. “Maybe one of the others will let me borrow it for a few hours to make some copies. I... thank you. And sorry... again.”

He turned around and headed for the door, and only the last moment remembered that he still had a towel draped around his shoulders. He pulled it off and hesitantly turned around again.

To see Luke wrapping the book into a plastic bag.

“Your... towel...?”

“Oh, yeah...” Luke gave him a small, lopsided grin. “You probably don’t want to look like some sort of weird superhero, cycling around in the city with a towel cape.” With that, he took the offered towel and held out the parcel to Iolaus in turn.

“But I...” Iolaus looked up at him in confusion.

Damn it, up close his eyes were even more beautiful.

“I know,” Luke said with a smile. “But you know... I think you need it more than I do.”

“I can’t... I can’t accept that,” Iolaus said, but his hand made its way towards the book anyway.

“I insist,” Luke replied gently. “As long as you don’t tell anyone I give books away for free to people with beautiful eyes.”

They both froze, and Iolaus felt the heat rise into his face, and saw it mirrored in Luke’s, who looked absolutely mortified.

“I...” Luke cleared his throat. “I mean... I didn’t...” Then he huffed. “Fuck.” And then in a voice as dry as the Sahara, he added: “That was a smooth move if ever there was one.”

They looked at each other again, and both snorted with a grin.

After a slightly awkward pause Iolaus slipped the wrapped book into his backpack, but outside the Deluge was still going strong, so Luke invited him to wait it out. He made two cups of tea, and they sat down at the little table at the back of the shop.

“So, ancient Greek history?” Luke asked conversationally.

Iolaus nodded. “Kind of... a bit of family history, if you want. My parents came here from Greece when I was five, and I’ve always been totally into history, especially the Greek one.”

“Yeah, I was wondering about the name,” Luke said with a smile. “Do you still speak Greek?”

“My mom hammered it into my head with a cudgel,” Iolaus chuckled. “But today I’m glad she did.”

“Same with my grandma trying to get me to speak Gaelic,” Luke replied, somewhat wistfully. “Though I was a little bastard about it, and now I regret it.”

Iolaus looked at him and tilted his head. “Why don’t you catch up on it? I mean you own a book store, after all?”

Luke sighed, staring at his feet. “I’ve been thinking about it, you know.”

“So go for it. What do you got to lose?”

After a moment, Luke’s frown deepened, only to vanish and turn into a slightly incredulous smile. He looked at Iolaus, and the smile grew soft. “Nothing,” he said. “You’re absolutely right.”

They both looked straight ahead again, and at the large windows of the storefront. The rain was still pelting down and seemed to have no inclination to simmer down any time soon.

“Well, it’s just water,” Iolaus said after a moment. “I’d better be going.” With that he got up while staring at the windows with hunched shoulders.

“How... how far is it?” Luke got up as well. “To where you live, I mean.”

“Oh...” Iolaus brushed a few moist hairs from his cheek. “Ten, fifteen minutes? In this weather probably longer.”

“You’ll catch your death if you do that,” Luke said firmly and headed towards the desk where the till sat. He grabbed a leather jacket from a hook behind the chair and slipped it on. “I give you a lift.”

“No, it’s okay,” Iolaus zipped his backpack up again and straightened up. “I need my bike again tomorrow.”

“I give your bike a lift home too,” Luke said with a smile and produced a key ring from his pocket. “I got a pick-up. No worries.”

“Okay...” Iolaus looked at the windows again. Gusts of wind whipped the raindrops against the window panes and across the road. “I won’t say no to that.”

“After all, it’s a precious book you got there.” Luke winked at him. “Can’t risk that getting wet.”

Iolaus lifted one eyebrow as he shrugged his still wet backpack back on, but had to smile when he noticed Luke’s wink.

They rode in silence, and Iolaus stared out of the window and at the raindrops crawling down the glass when he wasn’t giving Luke directions.

“Right, number 175, here we are,” Iolaus said when Luke pulled over. “This is me. Thanks again, for everything. The book and the lift. I wish I could return the favour.”

“You go out for dinner with me,” Luke blurted out, and immediately snapped his mouth shut. “I didn’t... I mean...”

But Iolaus had to laugh. True, Luke seemed to be a bit older than he was, but who was Iolaus to judge? He was gorgeous, had beautiful eyes, and was obviously kind and generous too. And since a bit more life experience could easily translate into a bit more experience in certain aspects of life, Iolaus found no reason to ridicule or reject the request.

“Nice,” he said quickly, before Luke would change his mind, and gave Luke his brightest smile. “How about you pick me up Friday at seven?”

Luke opened and closed his mouth a few times, then he huffed out a tiny chuckle, and an amazing, beautiful smile appeared on his face and crinkled his eyes. “Absolutely. Friday, at seven.”

“Great” Iolaus grabbed his bike from the back of the truck. “See you then!”

Despite the rain he watched Luke’s truck until it vanished around a corner, and he didn’t stop grinning despite being drenched again. A long, hot shower took care of the coldness that had seeped into his bones, and as he got comfortable with a large mug of tea and the book in his bed, he still hadn’t stopped smiling.

* * *

Of course Iolaus didn’t shout the fact he got a book for free from the rooftops, and the only thing he said was that he had found a really good deal at a second hand book store. He had gone into a bit more details about the owner of said bookstore with his friends and flat mates Jason and Hercules, and had suffered through their – admittedly mostly good-natured – needling about his love life with a smile.

Iolaus had done the best he could, appearance-wise, with his measly student budget, and could only hope Luke hadn’t planned anything fancy. He hadn’t been at the book shop again because exams were drawing close and he needed every minute of studying to be able to take a whole evening off. Because you never knew how long such an evening would get, and how late you were able drag your ass out of bed the next day, subsequently needing more time to resemble a human being again that was able to think of books and words.

Luke pulled up in front of the building at one minute to seven, according to Iolaus’ phone. Not that Iolaus would ever tell Luke that he had been sitting on the windowsill waiting for his truck to appear. As it was, he now jumped off the windowsill, slipped his phone into his pocket and grabbed a jacket, and had reached the door roughly a second after Luke had pressed the doorbell.

“Did you teleport here?” He asked with an amused frown.

“I...” Maybe that had been a little too eager. “I... um... I happened to look out of the window and saw your truck.”

“Great.” Luke gestured towards his truck. “Let’s go, we have a table at seven thirty.”

It occurred to Iolaus too late that he might have mentioned his dietary specifications a little sooner. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had been at a steak house. Luke was obviously proud of his choice and all too eager to show him the menu, and now Iolaus had to break it to him that he didn’t eat meat.

Luke however immediately noticed that something was off when he handed Iolaus a menu.

“I...” Iolaus took a deep breath. “I forgot to mention, and that is totally on me. I’m actually a vegan.

Luke’s face fell, and it actually lost a little colour. Iolaus tried to smile.

After a moment, Luke dragged a hand down his face and muttered something under his breath. “ _Ifreann na Fola…_ ”

“Ex...cuse me?” Iolaus asked cautiously.

“Nothing,” Luke said in a heavy voice. “Just swearing. Can’t speak Gaelic properly, but the swearwords stuck.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” Iolaus replied with chuckle. “Not really fluent in Greek, but I can call you a bloody idiot in three different ways.”

“I deserve that for not asking what kind of food you prefer.”

Iolaus’ stomach fell into his boots. “NO!” He gasped for air. “No, no, I didn’t mean it that way... shit. No, please... Luke I didn’t mean to say you’re an idiot!”

 _Oh wow_ , Iolaus thought, _as dates go, this one started absolutely abysmal_. Iolaus briefly wondered if he could make more of an ass of himself than he had already done

They both stared at each other for a moment, both looking miserable for entirely different reasons.

“I’m so sorry,” Iolaus said after a moment in a small voice. “I really didn’t mean to imply you’re an idiot. That came out totally wrong... I just... worst timing ever for trying to make that joke.” He finally forced himself to meet Luke’s eyes. “Me in a nutshell,” he added with a failed attempt at a smile.

“It’s okay, I believe that,” Luke said, his faint smile a little more successful. “I just don’t know why I didn’t think of asking. One of my best friends is Jewish, and I can handle his dietary specifications just fine.”

“Well.” Iolaus took another deep breath. “Should we try and salvage this dinner?”

“We can go somewhere else,” Luke said quickly. “There’s a nice Chinese place not far from here.”

“No, it’s fine,” Iolaus replied. “You said in the car you like this place, so go for it. They have a nice salad bar over there.”

“Yeah but I don’t exactly want you having to watch me eat a steak,” Luke replied slowly.

“It’s fine,” Iolaus said again with a smile, and it wasn’t a lie. “I’m used to it. I’m not going to tell anyone what to eat.”

Luke lifted both eyebrows. “Then you’re the first vegan I met who isn’t at least passive aggressive about other people’s choice of food.”

“I know.” Iolaus sighed. “They give us all a bad rep.”

In the end Luke had his steak and Iolaus a salad and some freshly baked bread and a corn on the cob without butter, and he had nothing to complain about, a fact he tried to assure Luke of during their ride home. Eventually Luke seemed to believe him and made peace with his choice, and since he seemed to be hesitant about it, Iolaus made the move instead and asked for his number.

The smile that he got as a reward made his stomach flutter. He could drown himself on those eyes. Then Luke’s smile softened and he leaned a little closer, and Iolaus closed his eyes as he did the same.

Luke’s lips were soft, surrounded by the soft scratch of stubble, and he tasted of the coffee they had had after dinner.

“I give you a call,” Iolaus said as he leaned back. “Sorry, I got two exams next week, but maybe I could drop by for a tea or coffee after the exam on Tuesday?”

“You’re more than welcome,” Luke said warmly and reached out to rest a hand on the back of Iolaus’ head.

He pulled him in for another kiss; nothing hot, open-mouthed or greedy, just warm affection and the promise of more.

Iolaus was on cloud nine when he hopped up the stairs, and no amount of teasing and needling from his flatmates could damage his good mood.

* * *

Iolaus did drop by the book shop that Tuesday after his exam. He complained a little about how he didn’t think he’d passed, to which Luke replied that he was convinced Iolaus had done just fine. He made coffee, and invited Iolaus into his flat behind the bookshop.

One coffee turned into three and he was home much later than expected, and ignored the teasing about his beard burn with a grin.

“You’re just jealous you don’t have someone to make out with,” he said before hitting the bathroom.

He couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, his thoughts turning back to Luke, his beautiful eyes, his strong, gentle hands, and his lips, and good god, that man could _kiss_. He would probably have to wear his turtleneck for the next few days to avoid any more teasing.

He hit the bookshop again Friday afternoon after his exam, totally knackered because he had sacrificed a lot of sleep to get through the fucking book. Luke took one look at him before he locked the door of the shop and turned the sign around so the _‘Sorry we’re CLOSED’_ faced the front.

Then he settled Iolaus on the sofa and pressed a coffee into his hands that was strong enough to defend itself against a werewolf attack.

“Tough?” He sat down next to Iolaus and draped an arm around his shoulders.

“Knackered,” Iolaus said and inhaled the steam emanating from his cup. “I think I didn’t do too badly, but I’m just...” He sighed. “So done.”

“Want to stay over for dinner?” Luke asked gently, and started rubbing the back of Iolaus neck with a thumb, exerting gentle pressure. “I can give you and your bike a lift home, too.”

“Sounds great,” Iolaus replied and closed his eyes in bliss. “Don’t stop...”

Luke chuckled softly and continued his gentle administrations, but eventually he dropped his hand again and pecked a kiss onto Iolaus’ cheek before getting up.

“Let me cobble some food together,” he said and smiled down at Iolaus who was still pouting. “I was actually hoping you’d stay for dinner tonight, so I am prepared.”

Iolaus grabbed his coffee and nodded. “Pasta is fine, you know.”

But Luke just smiled and vanished into the tiny kitchen.

It didn’t take long for Iolaus to register the fragrance of garlic and onion coming from the kitchen, but he simply curled up with his coffee, too comfortable to move for now.

But he almost fell from the sofa when Luke called from the kitchen that dinner was ready. After unfolding himself with a soft curse about having almost fallen asleep he got up and headed for the kitchen.

“Something smells nice,” he said with a smile.

“I hope it tastes as nice as it smells,” Luke replied and put on a pair of oven mitts. “I’ve never used half of the spices in this before.”

“Aw, man, Luke...” Iolaus sat down with a sigh. “You don’t have to buy a ton of expensive spices just for-”

“Just for someone special whom I want to cook something nice for,” Luke interrupted and put a casserole dish onto the table.

Iolaus eyes widened more and more as Luke put another dish onto the small table. Apparently the menu was garlic-roasted vegetables with coriander and sesame, falafel in spicy tomato sauce with peppers and onions, and pita bread with a hummus dip.

“Wow,” was all Iolaus could say.

“Yeah... I needed a bit of,” Luke’s eyes darted towards the windowsill and back to Iolaus, “inspiration. But I think it turned out fine.”

Iolaus looked up at the windowsill as well, where Luke kept his array of cookbooks. He didn’t fail to notice three brand new additions. His heart began to beat faster, and something warm poured down his spine through his whole body.

“You bought vegan cookbooks?”

Luke shrugged as he sat down. “I’m usually the _Throw-sausages-and-eggs-in-the-pan-and-call-it-dinner_ type of cook so I needed a few pointers,” he said and ladled a few scoops of vegetables and falafel onto Iolaus’ place. Then he offered the bread basket. “I also made a fruit salad with roasted almonds for desert.”

Iolaus took a piece of bread without taking his eyes off Luke’s face. “I...”

Luke leaned forward with a warm smile, and rested one of his hands on Iolaus’. “Don’t they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach?”

He winked.

Iolaus huffed out a laugh and tore off a small chunk of bread that he held out to Luke, who ate it from his fingers.

The food was amazing and Iolaus ate until he had to pop the first button of his jeans. Then he undid the zipper as well for good measure, and fell back into his chair with a groan.

“Best compliment for the chef,” Luke replied with a soft laugh and got up. “Coffee?”

“Yes please. You’re the best.”

They had their coffee on the sofa, and it didn’t take long until they had both forgotten about it, relishing closeness and the taste of peach and pineapple on each other’s lips.

Eventually they broke the kiss to calm down a little, but the moment Iolaus buried into Luke’s embrace he had to suppress a yawn.

“It’s okay,” Luke muttered into his hair. “You look tired. I load your bike and then I can drive you home, okay?”

Iolaus nodded with a hum and leaned back into the comfy old couch.

Luke found him there sound asleep when he came back in to tell Iolaus that his carriage was ready. He stood there for a moment watching Iolaus sleep, lips slightly parted into the hint of a smile, and heaved a deep, deep sigh. Shaking his head with a fond, lovesick smile he gently lowered himself down next to the sofa and slipped one arm under Iolaus’ knee and one around his shoulders.

“Comfy,” Iolaus muttered sleepily into his shoulders, his breaths still slow and his voice husky. He didn’t really sound awake.

Luke gently lowered him down on the bed again and since the jeans were already unbuttoned and unzipped, managed to gently ease Iolaus out of them without nudging him too awake. Iolaus just muttered something that sounded like _‘want another pillow’_ and curled up again.

Shaking his head Luke watched Iolaus’ sleeping face for a moment.

“Sweet dreams,” he whispered and gently closed the door.

But since the sofa was too short for a man his size Luke eventually crawled into bed as well, careful not to disturb Iolaus who slept like a blanket-hogging, cocooning caterpillar. He breathed a tiny kiss onto Iolaus’ temple before switching off the light, and fell asleep listening to Iolaus’ soft and tiny snores.

* * *

Iolaus awoke in an unfamiliar bed and no recollection how he had gotten here. The pillow smelled vaguely familiar though, and once it registered that it was Luke’s aftershave he relaxed again and turned his head around.

“Morning,” Luke whispered with a smile.

“Um.” Iolaus turned onto his side. “Morning. Did you...?”

“Carry you to bed?” Luke’s smile widened a little. “Yes. You just passed out on the couch and I didn’t want to wake you up to ferry you through the night in Brooklyn.”

“Thanks,” Iolaus muttered, and because he couldn’t resist, he shuffled closer.

Luke lifted his blanket, and Iolaus scooted up to him faster than you could say _cuddle attack_. Luke dropped the blanket again with a soft laugh and nuzzled the top of Iolaus’ head as the latter latched on to him like an octopus.

“You’re so toasty,” Iolaus muttered against Luke’s chest.

“Comfortable?” Luke whispered with a soft chuckle.

As an answer, Iolaus just emitted a deep, content hum.

Settling back into his pillow Luke slung one arm around Iolaus to pull him even closer, and he buried his nose into Iolaus’ golden, messy curls. The sigh that heaved his breath blew a few of those into Iolaus’ face.

“That was one deep sigh,” Iolaus said and lifted his head with a small grin.

“Yeah...” Luke leaned back to look at his face. “I’m so gone for you it isn’t even funny anymore.”

Iolaus blinked and froze, and stared at Luke with parted lips.

Luke cleared his throat. “Maybe that was a little-”

“Boyfriend?” Iolaus blurted out.

Now it was Luke’s turn to blink. “What?”

“Be my boyfriend?” Iolaus asked again, blue eyes huge and shining in the low, early morning sun.

They both stared at each other for a moment now, before Luke took a deep breath and reached out to cup Iolaus’ cheek in one hand. He pressed a soft kiss onto Iolaus’ lips, and when he leaned back, he had a broad, love-sick smile on his face.

“So,” Iolaus reached out and toyed with one of Luke’s curls. “We’re boyfriends now?”

“I thought I made that abundantly clear,” Luke said with a wink.

“Oh, just making sure.” Iolaus settled back with an impish smile appearing on his face, making his dimples appear. “Because boyfriends bring each other coffee, right?”

Luke huffed out a soft laugh and shook his head. “Smooth move, Iolaus. Very smooth.”

“Hey, I’ll bring you coffee too,” Iolaus said and let his eyes rake over Luke’s upper body. The skin-tight shirt left little to his imagination. “As soon as you show me where everything is.”

“Deal,” Luke said and swung his legs out of the bed. “Tomorrow?”

“Does that mean I get to stay over tomorrow again?”

Luke snorted under his breath. “No, I want you to get up at the ass-crack of dawn, get on your bike, and haul your arse over here to make me a brew.”

Iolaus said up. “Hey, I would totally do that!”

They looked at each other.

“No you wouldn’t,” Luke said, cocking one eyebrow.

“I so wouldn’t,” Iolaus confirmed, and they simultaneously burst out laughing.


End file.
